Truth From Behind The Masks
by SodaX
Summary: An alternate ending to Watchmen, where Rorschach lived though Karnak, and will try to expose Ozy's fake utopia.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: This takes place about a year after the destruction of New York, via Manhattan, not the Squid. New York is currently being rebuilt. Later it will explain why Rorschach is still alive, and it will become a major issue in the plot.

*As we all know, our hero's have issues with their true identities. It is especially important that one pays attention to what name is currently being used for a character. (IE, Alex goes into the shower covered in blood, as Solas, but when the blood is washed away, she comes out Alex.) This will be an important running theme.

Thanks for reading. This is my first fanfic post.

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The lights flashed as the new Watchmen photo was taken. Nite Owl, Rorschach and The Silk Spectre were there, but Ozymandias and Dr. Manhattan were absent. Two new Watchmen stood on each side, to take their place and keep the Watchmen legacy going. Alex Regis- Solas and, Richard Marrok- Apollo.

Solas wore a black leather suit. Unlike Silk Spectre, and other female hero's before her, Solas's costume was not at all revealing or provocative. Her suit was more like a female version of the Comedian's militant apparel, but without the shoulder armor. She wore thin black goggles, that gave her a slightly buggy look.

Apollo's suit was very much like Ozymandias's suit, and that's exactly what he was going for when he designed it. It was all silver, with green. From his actions to his costume, it was clear the lad idolized Adrian Veidt.

Everyone stopped holding their breath and puffing up their chests for the photo. Rorschach was first to walk out of the room and out into the dark streets, from Richard's art studio. As he shrugged his coat around himself tighter, he heard Dan call his name. He simply paused and waited for Dan to catch up to him.

"So, how's it been going with Solas?" He asked, pushing up his glasses.

"She's rich. Spoiled. Likes to show off weapons." Rorschach grumbled.

"She mentioned she made you a new grappling hook. Can I take a look?"

Rorschach took the gun out from under his coat and handed it over to Dan.

"Whoo, this is nice. Much better then the one I made you, I bet." Dan said as he turned it over and inspected every aspect of it.

"Hrrrn." Rorschach didn't want to admit it, but it was better. Slightly smaller, easier to conceal, much more powerful and had a better grip.

Dan handed the gun back. "Well, be patient with her. You're not so easy to work with yourself."

"Hurm." Rorschach shrugged his coat around himself again and started walking away.

Alex walked out of the building fallowed by Richard.

"Dan and I are gunna order some pizza at his place around two, want to join us?" Richard asked.

"Nah. I don't think I'll be done by two. We're hitting some drug areas tonight. That can take a while." Alex said.

--

2 Days Later

Solas stood silently atop one of the taller building in the area, in the rain. She looked down like a gargoyle, watching the streets, motionless, standing still like she had always been there and always would. Rain slowly dripped around the edge of her black goggles and down her face, like tears.

Rorschach came from the darkness behind her and stood at her side for a moment, looking out over the putrid city.

"C'mon" He said at last. They had done their work for the night, it was time to go home.

Solas looked at him, token tears slowly dripping down her face. They fell on the leather of her clothes and mixed with blood, sheathing off her, pooling at her feet and running over the edge of the building.

As they left, they passes a large dumpster. Solas looked straight ahead, refusing to see the dumpster again. As Rorschach passed, he could see the blood still on the side, where only a few hours ago, they had found the body.

It had been a quiet night, and the streets on this side of town were empty at the dark hour. He and Solas walked freely down the sidewalk, looking down every ally as they passes. He had noticed something that looked like blood on the edge of the dumpster when they passed, and even thought he know it was probably nothing, just some rust, he turned down the ally anyway. Solas fallowed and without command grabbed the top and strangely heavy black garbage bag. She drug it over the edge and it smacked down onto the wet cement of the ally, hard. She opened it, and they both looked in with horror. Blood, and hair, sticky red- brown- black, wet, glissining blood, everywhere inside, and hair, blond hair. And pink, little pink clothes with white flowers and red blood stains. And little pale hands with bloody fingers, and small purple lips and wide open big blue eyes, staring at nothing, vacant and dead.

After Rorschach was able to tare himself away from the sight of the mangled little girl, he looked at his new partner. He saw something familiar in her expression, even thought her goggles. He didn't need to look into her eyes to know what had happened, he knew this expression, he knew this moment. He had felt a moment like this years ago. It's the moment when the true horrors of the world, when it all suddenly hits you, knocking the breath out of you, and you look down at all of Man Kind's cruelty and malice and it breaks you. In the silence, Rorschach could hear her crack, it was so loud to him, like the whole earth just split in two. She stood there in the rain, looking down at the contorted and twisted remains of the girl, and some part of her died- and it wasn't ever going to come back.

As they walked silently back in the same direction, Rorschach wondered if he should just go straight home, instead of going to Solas's place. Normally, he would fallow her back to her pent house and eat something hot before going home, but tonight was different. Then he wondered if he should follow her home, because it was, well, he didn't know. Maybe it would be comforting? But maybe it would be intrusive… Maybe she just wanted to be alone. Didn't seem like a good time to ask a question though. After more thought about sticking around for "comfort" he realized that idea simply wasn't going to work out. He had no comforting words. There were none, this was just the cruel way of the world, and it would only get worse. As they came to Rome Street, a street that's right side lead to bright new apartment buildings and condos, and that's left street ran down into the broken down slums, where even the main street was a grimy ally, Rorschach turned left and went his separate way, as Solas went right.

He opened the crooked door to his grubby apartment and shut it quietly behind him. He didn't bother with the light switch, he had no electricity and wouldn't for another two weeks. Missed too many payments. He took off his face and gloves, running a hand through his dirty wet hair. He took off his clothes and turned the hot water on in the small bathroom. Cold water was all that poured out, from the broken shower head. After a simple rinse off, he put on under clothes, his undershirt having rat holes in it, and blood stains. He lied down on the mattress and pushed his shoulder into his pillow, that smelled of sweat, and tried to forget what he had saw that night, long enough to sleep.

Solas tore her leather costume off and threw it out of sight into the closet, before walking into the large white bathroom. In moments there was a steaming shower ready. She took her time, scrubbing all the blood away with expensive soaps, and letting the hot water run over her back as she tried to block out the little girls huge blue eyes, glazed over and empty.

Alex got out of the shower, and wrapped a white fluffy new towel around herself before going to her bedroom. She lied down in the huge bed, soft with it's down cover and plush blankets. She closed her eyes and prayed she did not have nightmares.

_Crowded streets are cleared away  
One by One  
Hollow heroes separate  
As they run_

-So Cold by Breaking Benjamin

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Authors Note: Like in the graphic novel, after every chapter, I will try to put part of a song or poem.

Also, when I write, I tend to try to jump right to the interesting parts and use a lot of flashbacks, even for something that happen mere hours ago. Sorry if that gets confusing.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Alex tried to go back to sleep as soon as she woke up, but couldn't. She looked at the clock, it was 2:17 pm. Seeing that the remote to the TV was not on the nightstand next to the clock, she searched around in the over feathered blankets. Once she found it, she turned on the TV.

"-was just apprehended for the brutal murder of little Katy Perison. Police say they found the body in a garbage bag by the back entrance to their office, with a note from the masked vigilantes: Rorschach and Solas. "-they showed a picture of the note, having the large mirrored "r"s of Rorschach's symbol, and "Solas" at the end. "-must have found the body and turned it into the police. And now we have a word from the parents of Katy Per-"

Alex turned the TV off.

She could hear the same channel running in a different room, probability the living room. She quickly put some clothes on, and walked out into the hall.

---"-and he better pray they give him life in prison, because as soon as he's out on the streets, Rorschach will give him justice that the law will not. –And I want to thank them- Rorschach and Solas, for finding my little girl. At least now we know where she is, and that she is not suffering anymore…-"

Alex stopped watching the TV in the living room that Rorschach had turned on. She looked across the room, into the kitchen over the bar, and saw Rorschach looking out of the kitchen, can of beans in hand, watching the news.

"-…Again, that was the parents of the missing girl, Katy Perison, who was found murdered some time last night by the masked vigilantes Rorschach and Solas…-"

She walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "…He'll get a few years behind bars. The killer will walk free in only a few years, for good behavior." She said.

"When he does… We'll be there" Rorschach said. He took another spoonful of beans. Alex looked at him for a while. It must be terrible to be him. To know so many horrors of the world, so many of humanities dark secrets. How does a man get by in life, knowing the things he must know, without going mad? But it was almost like he wasn't just a man. His mask made him something else. Rorschach. A man could not handle the things he knew, but Rorschach could. She wondered how long she could keep up being Alex and Solas, before one of them devoured the other.

Rorschach sat the empty can of beans down on the table and pulled his mask over his stubbly chin. "Be seeing you, Solas." He said as he got up to leave.

"Alex." She corrected. He looked up at her from under his fedora.

"Alex… When I'm home, when I'm not wearing the mask… -When I've washed off all the blood- it's just Alex." When she finished saying it, she thought it sounded kind of stupid, but it's the way she felt. She didn't want to be reminded of the things she saw or did as Solas, when she didn't have to be.

There was a sound almost like a smirk from under Rorschach's mask. "Used to be same way."

"What happen?" she asked. It was an automatic response, but she wished she hadn't of asked. There had always seemed to be some line with Rorschach, and asking about his past seemed to be way over that line. "I don't mean to pry. I mean, I understand. This sort of… life… does that to you." She said, trying to make up for it.

"Found a little girl. Like you. Only she was butchered and fed to dogs. Saw dogs fighting over scraps of girl. Found cleavers and saws and blood. Picked up cleaver, went outside. Dogs yelped when the cleaver came down on them. Walter Kovacs muttered "mother" when shock of impact went up arm. Kovacs closed his eyes as hot blood hit chest and face. Rorschach opened them again… Waited for killer to come home. Didn't wait long. When he saw same cleaver used on girl, he begged to be arrested. Begged like an animal. People go to prison, animals are slaughtered… Chopped him until there was nothing holding him together anymore. Torched house. Watched it burn… Kovacs died that night.

Alex wont last long. Hope Solas can."

--

Rorschach walked up the abandon subway tunnel to Daniel's basement. After a half an hour of brisk walking in the dark, he could finally see he was close to the end. The lights in the basement were on. Apparently Daniel was working on something.

Rorschach walked into the main area of the basement. Archie sat in the middle, in the mote of the subway. On Rorschach's right, there was a lot of old junk, mostly things Daniel never used. An old white motorcycle sat, propped against the wall, long out of commission. Next to it, a new, shiny black one stood. It was Solas's, and she often left it in Daniel's basement.

Something clanked in the other section of the basement, behind the main one. Rorschach walked over and saw Daniel's legs sticking out from under the dashboard of some giant computer, taking up about half the length of the wall. He walked up and tilted his head, looking at Daniel.

"Daniel?"

Dan jumped, startled by Rorschach's voice. He scooted out from under the dash and looked up, wiping oil off his hands with a dirty cloth.

"Oh, hey." Dan said, as he stood up and walked back into the main part of the basement. "I saw on the news about the little girl you and Alex found. Sorry about that, man. How's Alex dealing with it?" he asked at he opened a small refrigerator that had bottled water and sodas in it. He took out a canned Coca-Cola.

"Alex not doing well. Solas fine, though."

Daniel hated it when Rorschach said things like that. It was like when Rorschach called his mask his "face". It was just creepy.

"Well, at least no one's protesting your involvement in the case. It seems like people don't mind masked hero's as much as they used to." Dan said.

"Because people who protested were blown to hell." Rorschach said coldly.

Daniel sighed and looked down. "Yeah... Everyone who hated us are dead now. Everyone who saw you on the news, all the cops who found out I got you out of prison… All these new folks moving into New York, trying to rebuild it, like us because they don't know about us."

"Yes. They trust us…. They would listen to us, Daniel."

Dan gave Rorschach a stern look. "What are you talking about?" He said, thinking he already new the answer.

"If we tell about Adrian, they will believe us, now. But _all_ Watchmen must tell the people. Wont believe just me."

"Rorschach, if we tell people what Adrian did at Karnak, then thousands of New Yorkers would have died in vain! You can't decide for yourself if those people's lives were worth it or not! And if we tell them that Dr. Manhattan didn't destroy New York, what's going to stop the US and Russia from nuclear war?" He had had this argument once before, soon after they both got back from Karnak.

"Not about people's lives, not about war or peace. People must know. Let them fight or keep peace, but let them choose. Can't force peace. If peace is not genuine, then will not last." Rorschach snarled. He took a step closer to Daniel, and even though he was shorter, he seemed to loom over him. "Evil _must_ be punished."

"No, I'm not going to risk nuclear war, just for the sake of punishing evil." Dan said firmly. He stood, glaring back at Rorschach for a few moments, before Rorschach finally turned away.

"Think Veidt's new world is better?" Rorschach asked roughly, as he walked around, picking up various things setting on a table near by.

"Look, I don't agree with what he did, but he's already done it… Yes, I think, in some ways, this is better. The crime rate is down, almost every neighborhood is being rebuilt, and gang's rant nearly as much as a problem as they were before. And with the government not really doing anything to stop us anymore, we're helping too." Daniel said, happy with his answer.

"Can rebuild, but under it all, rats are still eating away at the foundations. This city's criminals will fester and multiply like the rats they are. Soon it will be just as bad as before."

Daniel didn't want to argue the matter any more, it was pointless. No matter what he said, Rorschach was going to refuse to see the good in anything and anyone. He would only ever see the worst.

Daniel sighed again. "I'm going upstairs to take a shower. You should go home and get some rest, man." He said, slightly waving his bye as he walked up the stairs. He could hear Rorschach's angry "Hurm" as he turned to leave.

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_Author's Note: I hope that cleared some of the confusion up about why people trust them now. It will get more and more clear as the story goes on, until then, it's a mystery…_

_Thanks for the reviews!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: In keeping with the time period and Alex's conservative view, there is a slight racial comment in here. Hope no one goes off the deep end about it. Just going with the mentality of the age._

_-----_

"I think next time we find about a drug stash in the sewer, we should make Dan investigate it." Solas said, soaked in sewage, as she opened the door to her apartment.

"Yes." Rorschach said, dripping murky water into the clean, white kitchen.

"Um, there's a guest bed room right down the hall, next to my room. It's got a shower. I'll give you a robe, so I can wash you're clothes." She offered. Rorschach didn't answer right away, he seemed to be thinking about it.

"You can't walk home in cold wet sewage…"

Normally he would never consider such a thing, but normally, he wasn't soaked in a cocktail of everything unholy in New York City. He could almost feel the burn of filth on his skin. This was a filth he could not endure much longer, especially when a chance to scrub it away immediately had just been offered.

"Hrr." Was Rorschach's equivalent of a grudging "fine".

Solas went to her room and came back with a large white robe, before showing him the guest bedroom.

A soon as she was out of the room, he began to get undressed. It was a huge room, it must have been half the size of his whole apartment. The bed was large with fluffy white blankets and overstuffed pillows. Beautiful black marble covered the floor, clean and shiny- except where he had stepped, tracking mud and every sewage.

After getting his coat, scarf and jacket off, he paused and thought about his mask. Giving the door a quick glance, he took it off and looked it over. As he expected, muddy splatters were all over it. He _could_ just wash only his clothes, putting the soiled mask back on as soon as he got out of the shower, but was it really worth it? Did it really matter if Alex saw his face? Daniel had seen his face. Even Laurie had seen his face. At this point, keeping his face behind a mask didn't seem as important as it used to.

He sniffed it and crinkled his nose at the stench._ No, that has to go. Can't wear it_. He dropped it on top of his jacket.

He left his wet clothes in a heap on the floor, picked up the robe and brought it into the bathroom with him. The bathroom was a startling white. White marble tiles on the floor and walls, and a mirror that made up the whole front wall. The shower it's self was a walk in glass shower, larger then his kitchen. When he stepped inside and turned on the hot water, there was no wait at all, hot steaming water poured out like rain from the shower head. He looked around at the back of the shower where all the soaps and shampoos sat on a neat little shelf. There must have been seven brand new bars of soap, five body washes, and six shampoo and conditioner bottles. He read the name of each, most having a feminine sent. He was an Old Spice sort of guy. Seeing nothing that he thought he'd really like, he settles on lavender soap and some Veidt brand shampoo. When he got out, he had never felt so clean in his life.

He brought out his dirty clothes and dumped them into the washing machine. As he poured in the washing liquid, Alex walked by, in a light blue robe.

"I'm going to make dinner. Is there anything particular you would like?" She asked, trying not to stare at his face. She had never seen him in person without his mask on. The police mug shots she had seen of him a year ago made him look terrible, but without all the cuts and burses, he wasn't half bad looking.

"No."

"Um, well, is spaghetti alright, then?" She asked. He nodded yes. She smiled and left for the kitchen.

She had dinner ready soon, and they sat at the table, awkwardly silent in their bath robes.

"Why did you become a masked hero?" Rorschach asked, without looking at her. He slurped up some more pasta. He didn't really care why, he guess it was something along the same reason as Daniel Drieberg. He just didn't like the awkward silence when he was unmasked.

"Just thought New York needed more of them. Especially this _new_ New York. And because I lived here before New York was destroyed. I thought if there was going to be a new hero, they should be a _real _New Yorker, not any of these new immigrants.

So, when I got back from Michigan, after they started letting people back into the city, I saw there was going to be a lot of problems at first. Too many broken parts of town that had been neglected and a lot of minorities were moving in. That breeds crime faster then anything. Then I decided New York definitely needed another Hero.

I set up a few fake identities, had some costumes made and then just got out there one night, all dressed up, behind a mask, and stopped a robbery."

After Alex cleared the table and put everything away, she sat down in the living room and yawned. Rorschach sat awkwardly on the other end of the couch.

"You should leave a change of clothes here. In case it's rainy or we have to go sewer spelunking again."

"Hurm." It was a good idea, and he did keep spare masks and coats. His partner's pent house was a good place to keep an extra suit.

"If you want to go to bed, you're welcome to stay here. You're things still have another forty-five minutes before they will be ready for the drier, and your coat's gunna take a while to dry. You'll be here until six a.m. anyway." She said, yawning again. He seemed to be considering it, but having difficulties, like before.

"I can put them in the drier when they're done, if you want to go to bed." She offered.

"I'll do it." _She_ wasn't going to touch _his _undergarments!

"Alright… Well, stay if you want. I'm going to go to bed." She said. She almost added "good night" to the end of her sentence, before thinking better of it. She got up and left the room without saying anything else, but catching a last glance at his face, as he looked down and fiddled with some string hanging from his robe.

He sat there in silence for a long time. Now that she was gone, he felt like he could relax. On the coffee table in front of him, he noticed a few photos, faded colors, and black and white. He picked up the closest one, a black and white of a little girl with her arms around a big yellow Labrador retriever. It had to be Alex as a child. The girl had the same hair, the same eyes, the same nose. She could only be about seven or eight, wearing a cute little dress, and one of those huge smiles that only seem to come from children. Truly happy, innocent children. It _almost_ made him smile.

As soon as the washing machine stopped, he quickly stuffed all his clothes into the drier, turned it on and went to the guest room. He lied down. It was bigger then his bed, and he sank into the down pillow top. The room was completely dark, unlike his apartment, where an annoying street light shined though the window all night. He fell asleep quickly.

--

He could feel her lips over his in the dark. She kissed him softly and slowly, with a gentle passion that made him feel loved. He slid his hands over her shoulders and neck, kissing her, trying to physically convey his feelings for her, but unsure how. He moved in closer as she put her arms around him, needing the comforting feeling she gave him.

When Walter woke up, the dream lingered in his tired mind as he lied in bed. Small fragments of it pulled together after trying to remember it for a few moments. He had no idea where the dream had taken place, but it had been dark. Where they in an ally or the park? In Alex's apartment, her bedroom?

_No, they were not in bed. Lustful and sick. Very bad._

But it hadn't felt bad. It felt wonderful. It was the most fulfilling and comforting feeling he had ever had. The dream left him aching for that sort of comfort outside of a dream. He really wanted to be so close to her, to feel loved by her.

_Not love. Lust. How could he have dreamed such a filthy thing?_

As he woke up more and his mind cleared, he suddenly felt sickeningly ashamed of the dream. How could he have thought about Alex in such a lustful way? She wasn't a whore. And he would never do any of those things to her anyway. He would never enjoy something so sick… But he had enjoyed the dream, and when he woke up, he had missed it.

No, it was just a dream. Any feelings he had- or thought he had- were nothing but fake illusions going with a completely random and meaningless dream.

Once he had dreamt he and Daniel were in the old clothing factory he used to work in, trying to catch chickens someone let loose. Like that dream, this one was just another random assortment of things in his life, thrown together, making no since at all and meaning nothing at all. He had no reason to feel ashamed of the dream. He didn't actually feel that way, and he had absolutely no control over his dreams.

Comforted by his final analysis of his dream, thoroughly convening himself, he rolled out of bed and looked at the clock sitting on the cold metal night stand. It was 1:28 pm. He put his bare feet down on the cold, black tiles of Alex's spare bedroom floor and walked out into the hall to the laundry room to get his clothes. He saw that his dry clothes had been hung on a rack, and his socks, briefs and undershirt were folded neatly on top of the drying machine with his fedora setting on top of them.

He took his things and got dressed in the guest bedroom. It felt good to be back in his suit and behind his face again. He was back in his element, even if it was only a mask and trench coat.

"Hey, sorry about you're shoes. I couldn't really do much about them. I tried to clean them, but they were too water damaged by the sewer. Looks like you should just get new ones." Alex said as Rorschach walked into the living room. She was sitting on the couch, watching a movie.

"Oh, and Dan wants us to stop by tonight. Around nine or ten he said. He called while you were asleep." She added, looking up at him as a Nostalgia commercial came on.

"Hm. Be seeing you." Rorschach said, as he left.

"Lock the door!" Alex yelled after him as an after thought. He didn't respond, but she could hear the door being locked after he shut it.

Alex was a little glad he was gone. Having him around for such a long time, under such odd circumstances was odd and awkward.

She went back to watching the movie, but her mind kept drifting. Walter Kovacs was much more interesting then a movie about shark attacks.

----

_Author's Note: I thought after chapter 1&2, we could stray a little from the main plot of Rorschach plotting Adrian's fall. This chapter does have it's uses to the main story, though, but I can't tell you why at this point or it would ruin a major plot twist to come in about 2 or 3 chapters._

_I'm sure everyone was on the same page in chapter one when you saw that Rorschach was paired with a female OC. We all knew what was gunna happen eventually, I hope. I just wanted to wait until chapter 3 before even beginning to get into the romance side of things. Wanted everyone to get to know Alex and how long she's been working with Rorschach, instead of suddenly starting out with a blazing romance. Nothing is quite as uninteresting to me as fanfic of Rorschach getting it on with some random OC I have had no time to get to know or care about. Hopeful I've managed to avoid that in my own._

_Thanks for reading!_


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